Fan Asks Billy Joel If He Can Perform With Him, Joel Says Yes (VIDEO)

Imagine the scene. Billy Joel - yes, the Billy Joel, the guy who did 'White Wedding'* - has come to perform and give a talk at your university.

You are, understandably, excited. In fact, you're so excited, that when there's a Q&A session at the end you get all ahead of yourself and before you know it, you're asking Mr Joel - yes, the guy who did 'Rebel Yell'* - if you can get up on stage and play piano for him. While he sings.

And what's even more amazing is that when you ask this, Billy Joel says: "OK".

"I decided I was gonna go see Billy Joel right when we found out he was coming, and as a childhood idol of mine, right away I knew what I wanted to do," Pollack later told his university news site. "I had practiced it a little bit thinking maybe I’d get the chance to go up… I kind of lost myself playing... It was probably the greatest moment of my life."

Bravo, Mr Pollack. And a hat-tip to you too, Mr Joel, for you are what we call in Britain 'a dude'.

And let this be a lesson to all of us. You may think that carpe diem is Latin for 'egg on face' - but sometimes it really does pay to seize the day.